This invention relates to track-type vehicles and more particularly to a bottom guard arrangement removably attached thereto.
Crawler tractors employed in the earthmoving industry commonly have a crankcase guard attached to the underneath side of the frame to prevent damage to the engine crankcase, transmission cover, and other vulnerable components at the underneath side of the vehicle. The guards frequently include a front member and a rear member disposed ahead and rearwardly, respectively, of the hard bar which extends between the track assemblies. Constructing the guard from two separate members facilitates its removal for servicing of the engine and other vehicle components and provides a space therebetween to permit normal oscillation of the hard bar during operation of the vehicle. The space is partially covered by an intermediate plate removably secured to the front and rear members by a plurality of bolts. One of the problems encountered with such arrangements is that the entire crankcase guard is subjected to sliding contact with protruding rocks, logs, mud, etc., and the bolts fastening the intermediate plate to the front and rear members are frequently worn so badly that they must be burned off with a torch for removal of the crankcase guard for servicing of the components protected by the guard. Also, in some cases, the impact between the intermediate plate and protruding objects is sufficient to shear the supporting bolts in which case immediate repairs are necessary to maintain the protection afforded by the guards.